The Infrastructure & Operations (I&O) agenda for 2026 already highlights six keywords that are beginning to recur in the offices of CIOs, CFOs, and risk managers: hybrid computing, agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI governance platforms, energy-efficient computing, disinformation security, and “geo-patriation.” These are the six trends Gartner considers most influential over the next 12-18 months, presented during its I&O and Cloud Strategies conference held in Las Vegas.
Beyond the headline, the message is financial: the total cost of running IT no longer depends solely on renewing servers or renegotiating cloud contracts. By 2026, spending will shift toward “invisible” but critical layers: AI control, compliance, energy efficiency, identity verification, and operational sovereignty decisions. All of this occurs at a time when infrastructure is becoming more heterogeneous and simultaneously more sensitive to geopolitical shocks.
1) Hybrid computing: infrastructure as a “composable fabric”
Gartner doesn’t use “hybrid” as a synonym for “some on-prem and some cloud.” It describes an emerging way to orchestrate compute, storage, and networking across diverse (and sometimes incompatible) mechanisms, with a composable and extensible architecture. Translated into finance terms: fewer rigid investments and more options to reallocate workloads based on cost, latency, regulation, or vendor risk.
2) Agentic AI: productivity… and also operational risk
Agentic AI isn’t just “more AI,” but AI capable of acting autonomously after analyzing complex data. Gartner presents it as a clear pathway to gain time and performance benefits in I&O as systems mature. This opens doors to savings (automation of operations, incident response, resource optimization) but also necessitates budgeting for controls: operational limits, auditing, and responsibility when an agent “makes a bad decision.”
3) AI governance platforms: the new budget line
One of the most “CFO-friendly” shifts in the report: governing AI involves defining policies, assigning decision rights, and ensuring accountability concerning risks (bias, opacity, privacy, validation, security threats). Gartner specifies that platforms monitor and manage AI systems by integrating “responsible AI” practices. If 2024-2025 was about pilot spending, 2026 is likely to be the year of investment in governance, traceability, and evidence.
In practice, this aligns with frameworks already pushing organizations to “systematize” AI risk (for example, NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework).
4) Energy-efficient computing: when OPEX eats the roadmap
Gartner treats energy efficiency as a set of technologies and practices aimed at reducing consumption and carbon footprint. The economic takeaway is straightforward: energy shifts from a “facility” cost to a strategic variable in IT. Gartner mentions emerging technologies (like optical or neuromorphic computing) within long-term strategies, but immediate impacts often come from more pragmatic decisions: consolidation, workload placement, thermal design, and choosing platforms with better performance per watt.
5) Disinformation security: protecting brand, identity, and trust
“Disinformation security” is an expanding category: deepfake detection, impersonation prevention, reputation protection, and safeguarding trust in communications and identities. For financial media, this matters because the cost isn’t just technical—credible impersonation can trigger losses from fraud, brand crises, and lawsuits. Many companies previously hadn’t “categorically budgeted” for it, but in 2026, it may become a recurring expense.
6) Geo-patriation: moving workloads based on sovereignty, not price
The most political term on the list is “geo-patriation”: relocating workloads from global hyperscalers to regional or national alternatives due to geopolitical uncertainty. Gartner frames this as an extension of the “nativism vs. globalism” tension—beyond data sovereignty, encompassing operational and technical sovereignty. In finance, this isn’t cost-free: it involves duplications, migrations, contractual redesigns, and sometimes accepting higher unit costs to mitigate risks of disruption, sanctions, or strategic dependency.
What a CFO should watch for in 2026 (without falling for hype)
- From CAPEX to “control-OPEX”: spend on governance, auditing, identity security, and AI traceability will grow.
- Cost per watt as a KPI: energy efficiency ceases to be “optimization” and becomes part of the business case.
- Vendor risk as a pricing factor: geo-patriation turns resilience and sovereignty into measurable premiums.
- Responsible automation: agentic AI promises savings but requires budgets for safeguards (policies, testing, observability, and response).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “geo-patriation” mean in cloud, and why does it impact the budget?
It’s the transfer of workloads from global providers to regional/national options due to geopolitical risk. It typically involves migration, redesign, and operational costs but reduces exposure to strategic dependency.
Does agentic AI actually lower IT operational costs?
It can reduce time and repetitive work in I&O, but part of the savings are reinvested into controls: governance, auditing, security, and validation of autonomous actions.
What is an AI governance platform, and what problems does it solve?
Tools for defining policies and controls over AI, assigning responsibilities, and managing risks like bias, lack of transparency, privacy concerns, validation, and security threats.
Where do energy-efficient computing costs impact most?
Primarily in OPEX: electric consumption, cooling, rack density, and workload placement/orchestration decisions. Small efficiency improvements can significantly affect financial results at scale.
via: Gartner